6th Annual Maryland Microbrewery Festival

If you like a good microbrew and really great food the Maryland Microbrewery Festival is where you want to be!!! Come out to the beautiful rolling hills of Carroll County to the historic Union Mills Homestead and indulge in some of the best microbrews that Maryland has to offer!

Saturday September 24th, 11 am - 7 pm, at 3311 Littlestown Pike Westminster MD.

12 breweries with over 30 brands of beer

Live music and entertainment

Great food

Crafts and Unique merchandise

Free parking

Adult beer sampling $18

Non beer sampling $5

12 years and under free

BEST's own CEK Custom Designs will be there showing off new designs! Stop by and have a beer!!!

Friday Finds: I See the Moon

Nothing inspires me more than the moon! I love the silvery glow of a full moon when the sky is clear. There is something mysterious about the moon and the way it makes me feel when I gaze up into the night sky. Here are a few things to inspire you!


Hush - Original Light Reactive Painting - Modern Zen - Glows in the Dark by Shayla Maddox


Sunset Tree in Fuschia and Purple Batik Hemp Dress by Batik Walla


Vintage Moon Globe by Rain Wheel

Written by Erica of CEK Custom Designs

My Three Things

Anyone who lived in the D.C. area during the '80s and '90s remembers the great old radio station WHFS and Weasel the DJ. Weasel had a daily feature called "My Three Songs"; in this game, he would present three songs that had a common thread, theme, or leitmotif, and the object was for the listeners to guess what it was.

Here are three items by Etsy artists. What do they have in common? Give your answer in the comments below!


Punk Rock Jewel Pink, Green, Turquoise, Black Scarf by Crickets Creations


Southern Sweet Tea Soap by Lanabella


Purple Glazed Ceramic Bowl by Mary Everett

Written by Erica of CEK Custom Desigsn

Art in the Park: June 5, 2010

Join BEST’s own Erica of CEK Custom Designs at the annual Art in the Park festival in historic downtown Westminster!

The Carroll County Arts Council has partnered with the City of Westminster for three decades to present this annual outdoor cultural festival that is held the first Saturday in June on the beautiful grounds of Westminster City Hall. The juried event features fine art and craft displays by accomplished artists from throughout the region. It attracts a loyal and large audience of arts enthusiasts. The event also includes art demonstrations, family activities, strolling musicians, food, and entertainment throughout the day.

Art in the Park
Saturday, June 5, 2010
10 am – 4 pm
Rain or Shine

What I'm Working On: CEK Custom Designs

So, we are now into 2010 which should have been a happy exciting time for me. I was supposed to deliver my 4^th child (and 1^st boy) on January 7^th, 2010. Sadly, I lost him at 20 weeks into my pregnancy due to several complications. I don’t think there’s anything worse to go through then the loss of a child no matter if it’s at 8 weeks, 20 weeks or after giving birth. There were so many things we were looking forward to as a family with this precious new baby we were expecting….so many dreams lost. It was a very sad time for me. I am thankful that I was able to spend a small amount of time with him in the hospital after I delivered him. I held him and tried to give him all of the love that had been growing inside of me for him. I took a few pictures of him and I had the nurses get me a set of his footprints. I had decided that I would one day take those footprints and make a special piece of jewelry just for me so I could have a small piece of him with me always.

I recently showed someone the pendant that I had made for myself and she was so touched by it she was brought to tears! This woman shared with me that she had lost 8 pregnancies throughout her life….8 babies lost! She told me that I should be making these footprint pendants for all the mothers out there that had lost babies and didn’t have anything to remember their babies by. She suggested that I pick a charity and donate a portion of sales from the footprint pendants. It hadn’t occurred to me before to do that. I thought about it for awhile and decided that maybe I should do this…..maybe I could help another mother or grandmother or father get through the hardest time in their life….maybe this could help me continue to heal….maybe I could make a difference by donating to a charity that does research to help prevent the loss of pregnancy. After much thought I decided on donating to the March of Dimes to help with their mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

This line will simply be called Samuel's Footprints. There will be a variety of round pendants in assorted sizes, earrings and eventually bracelets and rings. Price range will be from $10 - $75. All $10 item sales will be donated 100% to March of Dimes. Anything above $10 will be donated at 25% of sales. Please help me in raising money for this very special cause! There is nothing more precious than a new life and nothing more special than helping to be a part of bringing lives into the world safely and unharmed!

Also, if you or someone you know, has lost a baby and you have the babies footprints I can make a piece of jewelry with those footprints. If interested contact me at cekmom3 at hughes.net to discuss details.

Written by Erica of CEK Custom Designs

My Favorite Etsy Shop- Artisan Graham

I know this may not sit well with everyone, but I love leather! I love the way it smells, the way it feels…I just love it! So when I was looking for a refillable journal for my sketches I searched etsy and found ArtisanGraham. Available in several vibrant colors, I fell for this lovely Violet Rhapsody Journal . What sold me most was the really cool turning lock (available in nickel or antique brass). This keeps the journal nicely closed while it’s bumping around in my bag so the pages don’t get bent or smudged! Also, I really love the way everything in my bag smells like leather!!! If you are looking for something a little smaller and less expensive check out this Sunshine Yellow Pocket Journal. This would make a great gift for the artist or writer in your life! ArtisanGraham also has these really cool Leather Cuffs that are customized to your wrist size. If you know someone who loves leather as much as I do you will surely find them a nice gift here!

Written by Erica of CEKCustomDesigns

What's in a name, CEKCustomDesigns?

Curious about how folks made up their Etsy Shop name? I am too! Let's ask! If there is a shop that you have always been curious about, but were too afraid to ask, leave it in the comment box, I will be happy to play detective for you.

So, What's in a name, CEKCustomDesigns

My business is named after my 3 girls Caroline, Ella and Kate (CEK)! Nothing fancy just the 3 little people that I adore most in the world! : )

FaerieCon - This Weekend!

I am gearing up to do the biggest show I have ever done! I'll be spending 3 days in the magical world of FaerieCon 2009 at the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley Inn, November 6th - 8th. If you've never heard of FaerieCon before you need to go here and check it out! I am looking forward to meeting all types of artisans from around the country!

If you've ever wondered about the world of Faerie you need to come out and see it for yourself!!! There will be something for everyone...even the kids!!! I have a limited number of free passes to the exhibit for Friday only. The pass can also be used as a $15 discount coupon towards the purchase of the weekend pass. If you are interested in the free passes please email me at cekmom3 at hughes.net.

Come celebrate the magical life with me and see my newest designs at table T20!!!

Post written by Erica of CEK Custom Designs.

Festival on the Hill

In a town noted for its many neighborhood festivals, Bolton Hill's Festival-on-the-Hill stands out as the longest running and certainly one of the best attended. They'll be celebrating their 55th Festival on October 4th starting at noon.

This year's festival has added a unique community service opportunity. Groups will be gathering at 9 a.m. to work on three significant neighborhood projects--one at the nearby Memorial Apartments residence for seniors, one at the Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School, and one involving collection of food for a local food pantry. Following their
morning of hard work, the service team members will gather with the rest of us for an afternoon of food, fun, and crafts. Festival-goers will enjoy music by local group Mambo Combo, a kids' zone, lots of delicious food, and of course the opportunity to shop among some
outstanding local artists. BEST members Erica Roberts and Anne Madison invite you to stop by their displays.

55th Annual Festival On The Hill
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Noon to 5:00 pm
1400 block Bolton Street
Proceeds benefit community organizations and charities.
For further details call Memorial Episcopal Church 410-669-0220

Maryland Microbrewery Festival

image by mfajardo

Come out and see BEST’s own CEK Custom Designs at the 4th annual Maryland Microbrewery Festival!!!

The Union Mills Homestead a nationally recognized historic landmark will host the fourth annual Maryland Microbrewery Festival on September 26, 2009 from 11AM – 7PM. This fun-packed festival will celebrate and promote the best of Maryland’s handcrafted and distinctive microbrews. Come join the fun of Maryland's premier beer festival.


Price: Adult beer sampling $18 non beer sampling $5 kids under 12 free

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2009

Time: 11:00am - 7:00pm

Location: Union Mills Homestead, 3311 Littlestown Pike, Westminster, MD

www.marylandmicrobreweryfestival.com

Featured Seller: Gabriella Lucretia

I LOVE jewelry. I am obsessed with it. It is my passion! Up until recently I have been a hardcore silver only jewelry wearer… that is until I stumbled upon Gabriella Lucretia. Donna (the shop owner) is not only a lovely person, she is truly talented!


She takes cast off vintage and antique found objects and gives them new life, or as she would say, “reinvents” them into something spectacular! She has a lot of large chunky pieces that are brass or bronze, things I would never have worn, but somehow her designs just drew me in! Her design style is categorized as Steampunk, which I had no idea what that was nor had I ever heard of it before coming to Etsy. It is definitely a style that I now appreciate!

Erica from CEK Custom Designs wearing work from Gabriella Lucretia

Donna is a great communicator and ships out fast! She is in CA and I got my items in MD within 3 days! That’s always the worst part about shopping online… you find and buy something really cool from an Etsy shop and can’t wait to get it… the waiting is terrible!!! I sometimes stalk my postal carrier when I know something is coming!!! Donna packages her items very nicely in a lovely box with tissue paper and ribbon. I love this!!! It’s so nice to open a beautifully wrapped package!!! Please go visit her shop… you won’t regret it!

Post written by CEK Custom Designs